Rachel pushed the stroller out of the grocery store and walked out to her car. She loaded the six grocery bags into the trunk and pulled her bottle of water out of one of them and tucked it into her oversized purse. Unlatching the carseat from the stroller, she carried the baby to the backseat of the car and placed it into the base. Making sure the baby was secure, she closed the door and broke down the stroller. She got it into the trunk and closed the lid. Reopening the back door, Rachel placed her purse on the floor and fished out her keys. As she pulled out the keys, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Rachel?"
"Shelby." Rachel gasped and turned to see her biological mother. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just had to get something for Beth." Shelby said, motioning to the blanket covered carseat in her hands. Rachel and Shelby hadn't seen each other in close to 8 months and it was clearly an uncomfortable reunion.
"I thought you were taking your dau-, uh, Beth to live in New York?"
"Yeah, I thought so too but Ohio is my true home. I love the city but I want Beth to have a backyard and a swing set."
"I see."
"So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" Shelby asked. It was the January of Rachel's junior year and Shelby was concerned why the girl wasn't in school, McKinley's Winter Break had ended four days ago and classes had resumed. Before Rachel could come up with an answer, cries erupted from the back seat. Shelby leaned a little past Rachel an noticed the three week old baby crying for her pacifier that had been dropped from her mouth. "Rachel?"
"I have to go." Rachel quickly said and reached into replace the pacifer. She shut the door and went to open the driver's door, when Shelby grabbed her arm.
"Rachel, is that your baby?" Shelby asked, still in shock.
"I have to go." Rachel repeated, trying to refrain from letting the tears in her eyes fall. Shelby let her go and Rachel slipped into the car and drove off.
Rachel made it home without breaking down and managed to get the baby and the groceries into the small house. Finn was at school and Carole was at work, leaving Rachel to care for her and Finn's newborn daughter. The groceries were put away and Rachel lifted the hungry baby from her carseat.
"Come on, Love Bug. Mommy is gonna feed you." Rachel whispered into the nearly bald head of the baby. Taking her up to the room the little family shared, she sat in the rocker and began to nurse the baby.
After the baby was done eating, Rachel rocked her until she fell asleep. Promising Carole that she would have the dishes done before she got home, Rachel placed the baby down in the bassinet that was located in the downstairs livingroom. Walking just a few feet way, into the kitchen, Rachel started the facuet and added some soap to the hot stream of water. She finished one load and was about to start another, when there was a loud knock on the door. Rachel checked on her baby before going to answer the door. Looking back one last time at the bassinet, Rachel opened the door.
"Shelby? Did you follow me here?" Rachel questioned the woman who was now standing at her front door.
"Can I come in?" Shelby asked and Rachel saw that she still had Beth with her and she didn't want the baby to get cold so Rachel nodded.
"Do you want any water or juice or something?" Rachel graciously asked and motioned for Shelby to sit on the couch.
"No, I'm good." Shelby said, setting the carseat down and taking off the blanket, revealing the blonde haired baby.
"She looks like Quinn." Rachel breathed out.
"Yeah but she has Puck's doofey grin." Shelby gently chuckled and looked up at her eldest daughter, noticing that she wasn't laughing. "I, um. I called Will to find out where you were staying. I wasn't sure if showing up here was a good idea but I had to know."
"Know what?" Rachel stupidly played as Shelby walked past her to peer into the bassient.
"She's yours." Shelby answered her own question. There was no doubt about it. The baby looked exactly like Rachel, right down to the little tuft of brown hair on her head. Shelby gently reached down and stroked the baby's chubby cheeks. "What's her name?"
"Madelyn. Madelyn Grace Hudson." Rachel smiled down at her daughter.
"That's very pretty, just like her." Shelby softly said and brushed a tear off her cheek with her thumb. "I should have been there for you."
"It's fine, I had Finn's mom." Rachel shrugged.
"No it's not fine. Since adopting Beth, I've learned a lot about what it means to be a mom. It's doing what is in the best interest of your child and being there when they need you most. It's about not giving up when they cry at all hours of the night and praising them when they do something right." Shelby said, turning to face her 8 month old. "Beth crawled the other day for the first time and I was so overwhelmed. I was happy that she was learning something new, sad that she was getting older and more independant but most of all I was hurting for not getting to see you do that."
"You were a surrogate and you signed a contract."
"Which I should have never done." Shelby said, looking back at Rachel. "And I shouldn't have told you that it's too late for us. I've been trying to work up the courage to call or stop by after glee but I'm too scared of your reaction. I don't blame you if you hate me or never want to see me again."
"I hated you for months and I never thought I could ever forgive you. When I had Maddy that all changed. I finally saw through your eyes and understood why you did what you did." Rachel said, glancing up at Shelby. "You didn't want to mess up the life I had. If I had given Madelyn up for adoption, I don't think I wouldn't feel any different than the way you feel."
"I guess we both see things different now that we are moms." Shelby said.
"Yeah, I guess so." Rachel agreed.
"How are you dealing with all of this?" Shelby asked.
"Um, well I am on maternity leave from school for another two weeks, then I'll be going back to school. Finn works nights at a warehouse so we can have some money to buy the things the three of us need. I babysit the neighbor's 3 year old son on weekends which pays for my part of the rent. It's tight right now but once he is done paying Vocal Adrenaline's Booster Club back, things won't be so bad."
"What about Glee?"
"Finn has been able to stay in the club but I won't be able too because I don't have anyone to watch Madeyln while I am rehearsing."
"Why not? What about her daytime sitter?"
"Finn's aunt watches her from 7:30 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon and has to go to work at 4:30. Glee starts at 4 and runs until 7. Carole would watch her but she doesn't get done with work until 6:30." Rachel tried to explain. "Glee was going to be my ticket to New York but getting pregnant at 16 kinda ruined that. I mean I'll still go to New York but it will just be harder to get into Broadway."
"What if I watched Madelyn for you?" Shelby suggested.
"I couldn't ask you to do that. You have Beth and I'm sure you have your own job."
"I give voice lessons four days a week, so I am home. When I have a student, Beth's nanny comes over to watch her, I'll have to ask but I am sure she wouldn't mind watching Madelyn too."
"That's nice of you to offer that but I can't afford to pay a nanny."
"You won't have to worry about paying her, I'll take care of it."
"No." Rachel shook her head. "That is too much."
"Rachel, I want to help you. I will do whatever it takes to help you finish school and go to college. Paying an extra $300 a month to Kassie, will be worth seeing you succed."
"Shelby, I can't ask that from you."
"You're not, I'm offering it. Think of it as paying you back for the trouble I caused you. Please let me do this for you, give me a chance to know my granddaughter and my daughter. Think about the little girls, they are realated and should know one another."
"Fine but we take things between us slowly." Rachel agreed. "I may not hate you but doesn't mean I've forgotten the things you said."
I really don't know about this one. It has been swimming in my head for several days and figured I would give it a go.
Please be nice when reviewing.